YWAM Furnace NZhttps://ywamfurnace.nz
Encounter. Equip. Send.Mon, 18 Feb 2019 02:27:28 +0000en-NZhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6The Story Behind the Song “Surely” – Furnace Worshiphttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2019/02/15/the-story-behind-the-song-surely-furnace-worship/
Fri, 15 Feb 2019 00:30:35 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=2133A year and a half ago, I had just walked through a season feeling like the Lord was silent—deafeningly silent, all when I felt I needed Him most. I needed Him as an advocate, as a friend, and as a leader. Instead, I found myself weeping before the Lord for hours a day with what felt like no breakthrough. One day on my internship in New Zealand, I was in the Prayer Room alone and I sat down at the piano. I started singing a prayer that I had said many times before, asking Him why I felt forgotten, where His faithfulness had gone, and accusing Him of not being who He said He was.

However, in the middle of my accusations this time, I remember the Lord breaking what had seemed like such a long season of silence, by replying with one simple question:

“How much am I worth to you?”

From that moment on there was a grace over my pain—the ability to hold it in my hands, acknowledge it and release it as a new song welled up inside of me. In that moment, I knew I had gained a new capacity to tell Him, that even the most difficult things that I had walked through— I would do it all over again if He asked, because surely He is worth it.

That moment became a song that I couldn’t stop singing, and won’t stop singing for the rest of my life. I say that with weight and conviction because for me, it was a holy moment that built a new kind of surrender that had nothing to do with the highs or lows of circumstance and everything to do with His worthiness. This kind of surrender carries weight, it’s a vow. It’s a promise to give Him worship that mirrors that of the saints around His throne in Heaven—taking their crowns, a symbol of authority, power, wealth and influence and casting them down before him over and over and over again.

There’s a story about a woman pouring her perfume out on Jesus’ feet. She had one bottle and she emptied it all before Him. But I know now, that if she had two, she would have gone back and emptied that bottle too, if seven—she’d pour them all out at the feet of Jesus until empty.

Because I think to know Him means to understand that no man can measure His worth. And the only way to worship someone like that is to give all of whatever you might have. Sometimes that’s your heart’s joy, sometimes that’s your heaviest pain. But I believe that He’s not counting like were counting. He doesn’t measure by beauty, by dollar signs or by outwardly impressive gifts—

He measures by our faithfulness to release the very lump sum of everything He’s placed in our hands.

I believe that there’s an invitation for our generation to stir up that kind of worship and abandonment again. An invitation to sit at His feet so long, gazing at His face, beholding His beauty that it causes you to surrender everything you hold most dear— that when we see Him face to face, even when He places a crown on our heads, our only response would be to cast that down before Him, too.

When I sing “surely you are worth it all”, I point at my pain and the things I’ve had to give up, I think on all my loves and joys in this, and stir my heart to empty my hands of whatever I might be holding onto. To love Him surrendered and abandoned, holding nothing but a desire in my heart to bend my knees again.

I hope this song blesses you the way it has me, and that it stirs your heart to draw nearer to Him and bow lower still, even now.

]]>Where the Song “Dream of Your Heart” All Started – Furnace Worshiphttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2019/02/08/where-the-song-dream-of-your-heart-all-started-furnace-worship/
Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:54:50 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=2082Last year, my friend Josh Yeoh, originally with Penang House of Prayer and now in Singapore, came to New Zealand to speak on prayer and worship. During our Community Night, he shared about Isaiah 24:16 and 42:10-12, which both proclaim that from the ends of the earth—New Zealand, the South Pacific—songs would arise, singing “Glory to the Righteous One”. Isaiah 42 also goes on to share that the islands, the coastlands, and the Middle East would be affected by those songs.

Throughout the night, Josh kept asking the question, “What is the dream on God’s heart?”. He went on to explain that the dream was that everyone would know Him, and that all the glory of the Lord would cover the earth like waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). Then Josh challenged all of us in the room—”Will you say yes and give everything for the dream of God’s heart?”

I was sitting in the front row, and I just kept hearing a melody replaying in my head. In the middle of it all, I simply responded to match the melody: I give it all for the dream of Your heart. That’s all I had.

After Community Night, I told Josh about it—and said we should write the rest together. The next morning, we quickly sat down and wrote the chorus:

I give it all for the dream of Your heart

I waste it all that You would have

What You wanted from the start

For the joy set before You

There’s nothing I won’t do

To give it all

I give it all

We took about an hour and a half to work out the rest of it. The first verse focuses on our identity, that we’re called as sons and daughters. The pre-chorus follows that by saying if that’s true, if we’re part of God’s family, then: Not my will but Yours be done. The second verse unpacks what God’s dream is: It’s Your desire that every people be with You where You are, which is Jesus’ prayer in John 17:24.

The bridge shares more of what God’s dream is, as well as our personal and corporate commitment to do it, to walk it out. Its lyrics are the heart cry that we’re going to live a life of mission, that we’re going to do whatever it takes so the dream of His heart is realized.

The night we recorded Dream of Your Heart with our community here in New Zealand, Josh was also leading and recording it live at a conference, One Thing Singapore. We didn’t plan it at all, it just happened that way! So it was an amazing encouragement from God, because this song was birthed from these two nations and recorded in both places the same day.

Every time I sing it, it makes me want to sign up again, that I really am going to give it all, whatever that looks like. For everyone that’s going to look different, but for my family it meant we spent the last few years in New Zealand, for some people it might be in a local church, for others, in the full-time workplace.

Wherever you are, it’s a commitment to live a life of mission, all for the dream on God’s heart.

]]>Why God’s Guidance is Always Best When it’s Freshhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2019/01/24/why-gods-guidance-is-always-best-when-its-fresh/
Thu, 24 Jan 2019 00:27:39 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=2100I’d seen it all. Those missionary teams, coming back sharing stories about their latest trip. Those Discipleship Training Schools (DTS), telling testimonies on stage. I was so used to long-winded explanations of why you should join “why-wham” and what God could “do in your life”, that I started tuning them out. I’d been recruited for DTS countless times, but every time, I said “No”. Was it because I had a grudge against missions? Not at all.

When I graduated from high school, God told me to go to university instead—and not do a DTS.

By the time I graduated with my teaching degree, I had given up any idea of becoming a missionary. I’d learned that I could follow God in my part-time teaching job, and didn’t need to be in “Christian ministry” to serve Him. I knew I was where I was supposed to be—God’s word to me after high school was clear. I wasn’t going to budge from it.

But then God started asking me a question:

“What do you want?”

Whether it was a quiet thought in the middle of worship, or reading it straight in Luke 18:41, I couldn’t keep ignoring it. But I had a problem. I wanted to be a missionary. I wanted to do DTS. What do you do when God says the opposite thing to what He’s said in the past?

God’s word is often compared to bread, like when Jesus says in the wilderness, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). All metaphors have their limits, because obviously God’s word lasts way longer than any loaf of bread, even if it’s loaded with preservatives! And there are some promises you need to hold on for a long time. But like bread, God’s guidance is always best when it’s fresh.

I had been so clear God told me not to do DTS, that I didn’t expect that He’d ever want to speak about it again. However, like any relationship, God loves to keep talking with us, and keep guiding us. Sometimes it’s the encouragement to keep going with what He said in the first place. Other times? It can be a drastic change.

When I finally answered God’s question, it kickstarted an adventure that I’d only dreamed of. Now I’m the one that tells stories of His faithfulness—sometimes from the stage, and other times from a laptop. Every testimony of God’s love reminds me that He loves to speak not just one time, but every day.

What’s God telling you today?

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace NZ Media

]]>4 Things We Think We Need on Missions Trips (but Really Don’t)https://ywamfurnace.nz/2019/01/15/4-things-we-think-we-need-on-missions-trips-but-really-dont/
Tue, 15 Jan 2019 02:36:38 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=2029I’ve packed a few suitcases in my lifetime. I started with family vacations, moved on to weekend soccer trips, then came the high school missions trips, and now in recent years, leading missions teams myself. As a kid, my mom would look at my packing and exclaim, “Are you really bringing that? And that?” to now, when I can get by traveling internationally with a carry-on size bag (or less!). But the ability to pack light isn’t for bragging rights (though it’s definitely fist-bump-worthy), it’s actually just plain helpful. Here’s a few things we often think we need on missions trips—and why we can do without them.

1. Phone

I think we all know we can live without our phones… or can we? You’re talking to the one who never used to travel without her laptop, let alone without a phone. Today, our phones double as cameras, laptops, entertainment devices, even mirrors. So I’m not necessarily saying that you have to leave it behind. However, some of my best memories with my team were during two weeks in a Fijian village with little power and no data coverage. In time off, we actually sat around, chatted, and ate an insane amount “breakfast crackers” with peanut butter. So it’s not about what you will lose by not having your phone—it’s about what you can gain.

2. Clothes

No, do bring clothes. Seriously, unless you are going to a remote tribe (but even then, you need to get through the airport), bring clothes. What I mean is “extra clothes”, but this is up for interpretation. More often than not, I regret that I’ve brought too many shirts or other items of clothing. Now, as a general rule, I skim over everything that’s in my suitcase. Then, I eliminate at least two items in each category (except for underwear—you can never go wrong bringing plenty of that!). Don’t worry, you can wash your clothes as you go! And until you’ve hand-washed whole sweat-soaked outfits with powder from a packet you think says “laundry soap” (but you can’t read the language), I’ll argue you haven’t lived.

3. Beauty Products

Okay, okay, I have to be honest here—I’ve never been the girl who consistently curls my hair or even wears makeup on a regular basis. So I can’t pretend to know what it’s like to stop cold-turkey! However, what I can say is from experiences of not bringing makeup or a straightener while I traveled is that it certainly saved space! But on a more serious note, there’s something freeing when you travel with a group of people who know you at your worst. The friendships I developed when my hair was tangled, I hadn’t showered in days, and that zit just wouldn’t go away—those friendships are the ones that have lasted.

4. Large Bible

After all of this, it’s my Bible that gets me through those days that I’m wondering why on earth I chose to be a missionary or even leave my hometown in the first place. The problem is, my Bible is pretty bulky and full of heartfelt memories. It seems obvious, but I still have to remember that the size of my Bible doesn’t determine my connection with God. During a missions trip to the Himalayas, I spent two weeks with one chapter on one piece of paper as we trekked village to village. Needless to say, I won’t ever look at John 15 in the same way again. So don’t be afraid to let go of your well-scribbled Bible for a few weeks, and be practical. God can use a new, small Bible to speak fresh life into passages you’ve read for years. So pack up—eliminate some stuff—and let’s go!

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace NZ Media

]]>When I Learned How God Transforms Communities // Photo Bloghttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/12/05/when-i-learned-how-god-transforms-communities-photo-blog/
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 03:16:55 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=2013My Transformational Development School (or Community Development School) was one of the most practical, hands-on courses I’ve heard of and experienced.

During our three months of lecture phase, we spent lots of time in the classroom learning from some incredible speakers, and the time flew by because every week was another brand new thing that just blew your mind all over again.

Along with class time, each week we were able to start small practical development projects.

Whether it was volunteering at the local thrift shop charity every week, or brainstorming a small scale project (like a garden for the campus), meeting with various leaders from the Maori community, or soaking up time in the Prayer Room—we constantly had the opportunity to step out and practically do what we were being taught. I am beyond grateful for every ounce of teaching we had and how it helped us formulate the value and need for community development understanding.

This school became a family so easily regardless of anything and the times we spent together were also some of the most valuable takeaways I have. The opportunity we had to grow as friends and learn from each other was more than I could have ever imagined and I’ll always be grateful for all of them.

Our two-month outreach in Central Asia was a chance to put our classes into solid action. It was such a great opportunity for our team to become prayer warriors for the places we visited. We had incredible opportunities to hike above towns to worship and intercede or even as we walked the streets.

We had developed techniques to battle spiritual warfare which were so helpful and such a great learning experience. Although outreach wasn’t in a country we all planned to go back to, the various tools and examples God showed us are all so translatable to any other future place of ministry.

I’m so grateful for the greater exposure I got to effective community development on the mission field, thanks to this school and team.

]]>5 Essential Things to Pack for Your Missions Triphttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/30/5-essential-things-to-pack-for-your-missions-trip/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/30/5-essential-things-to-pack-for-your-missions-trip/#commentsFri, 30 Nov 2018 02:18:19 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1999You got your packing list. You studied it in detail, or maybe you skimmed it. Or maybe you didn’t check your email at all and you have no idea what you’re supposed to bring. Whichever way, you’re wondering what is actually important to take on your missions trip. Please, get your packing list out if you have one! This list has mainly hot climates and rural areas in mind, but they apply for other outreaches as well. So, here are five things to pack—that I discovered to be essential—on mission trips across the world.

1. Wet Wipes

These damp little pieces of paper aren’t just for diaper bags—they are a miracle waiting to happen if you let them. After a dusty day of ministry, when a bucket shower is just a bit too much effort, whipping these out is what we like to call a “portable shower”. They’re also great for messy meals when hand sanitiser isn’t going to cut it. Then, when toilet paper isn’t accessible (or maybe just isn’t going to cut it)… well let’s just say wet wipes are just as effective, if not more. If you’re grossed out now, don’t worry—you’ll thank me later.

2. Travel Towel

Travel towels are just plain practical. Even though thick, fluffy towels are sometimes your last piece of comfort, they’re often extra weight in your suitcase or backpack. And let me tell you, extra weight builds up and it is not comfortable. Small, thin towel also dry quicker, which helps when you are traveling from location to location. This means you can feel confident when you do have a shower! (If not, you know wet wipes will be your bestie).

3. Power Adapter

This is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s so necessary that I want to mention it just in case your brain is filled with 501 other things as you prepare to go to a new country. A quick Google search will let you know what type of power or plug adapter you need for whatever country you’re going to. If you already have an adapter, a life-hack is buying a power strip in your home country then just use that one adapter, and you’ll have multiple outlets for you and your teammates. Just check that the voltage is similar so you don’t blow your devices!

4. Flashlight or Headlamp

Despite all your best efforts to keep things charged, sometimes you’ll hit a long day (or week) with no access to power. Instead of worrying constantly about your phone, keep a flashlight or headlamp in a consistent, accessible place in your bag. This helps for sudden power outages, 3-AM bathroom trips, or just reading late when your roommates are snoring next to you. When you’re in a team, you can easily get by with using your friend’s light—I did it so many times—but when I finally got my own, it felt great to help them out, too. Plus, do you really want to wake them up for that 3-AM bathroom trip?

5. Family Photos

The last item is something you might not consider as essential, I know I sure didn’t when my mom first suggested it! But when I saw little children and curious women crowded around her in a Cambodian village, I understood. Wherever you are in the world, people are fascinated by photos—especially family photos. There’s something bonding about sharing snapshots of parents, brothers, or sisters and your own awkward smile. Instead of being divided by language and culture—you suddenly have a conversation starter. And although wet wipes, travel towels, power adapters, and flashlights help us thrive on our mission trip—being connected with people is the reason why we travel all that way in the first place.

(But seriously, if you don’t believe me about wet wipes, I dare you to try them. You really will thank me later.)

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace NZ Media

]]>https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/30/5-essential-things-to-pack-for-your-missions-trip/feed/1When You’re Far From Home on Thanksgiving Dayhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/22/when-youre-far-from-home-on-thanksgiving-day/
Thu, 22 Nov 2018 23:03:15 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1989The kitchen had been buzzing all day. Two mismatching tables were placed together and twelve mismatched chairs squeezed into a dining room of a beach house in New Zealand. Our table was filled to the brim with carb-loaded favorite foods like stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, pierogies (it was an international celebration!), green bean casserole (with homemade crunchy onions), pumpkin pie and a Kiwi classic, pavlova. It was our last meal as an outreach team, before heading back to campus to debrief all that God had done over the past five months.

We were a mismatched group of Americans, Aussies, Kiwis, Canadian, Dutch, and German celebrating a North American holiday. It seemed fitting to let everyone contribute a dish that was their favorite, like pierogies and pavlova, even if they weren’t “traditionally” American. As everyone made a way to their seat, memories floated through our minds of God’s faithfulness, provision, and miracles in Himalayan villages as well as on the streets of New Zealand.

However, my mind was racing of memories celebrating Thanksgiving with my family back at home. Not only that, I couldn’t get it out of my mind how much my aunt loved Thanksgiving—I missed her and wished that she could still be alive today. Grief always catches you off guard and finds you, whatever country you’re in.

For me, grief always surfaces around Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving was no different. My heart was filled with many emotions of grief, exhaustion, frustration, but also deep down joy, love and overflowing feeling of thankfulness. God in His kindness had been preparing me all day for the moment I would read aloud 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

“Rejoice always. pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The phrase that kept challenging me the most was “give thanks in all circumstances”. Yes, this means even in the valleys our hearts should give thanks. When you first think about it—it sounds crazy, but I can testify that continuing to give thanks in all circumstance of life helps you to keep your focus on the one that truly matters, Jesus. It helps us keep our eyes focus heavenward even when we don’t understand why things happen or experience deep hurt and grief.

In that moment of feeling overwhelmed, I saw with my teammates celebrating and thanking God for what He did on outreach. We remembered the hardest hike of our lives, how we’d had extreme sickness, yet saw people healed and set free, danced with little kids, and were apart of many saying “yes” to Jesus for the very first time.

In the middle of my grief, I was suddenly reminded to turn my eyes to Jesus, to look around the table, and start declaring the things that I was truly thankful for.

I was thankful for my team who journeyed with me the past five months. I was thankful to be introducing such an important holiday to those who were non-American. I was thankful that even in a moment of experiencing grief rushing in, I was surrounded by a group of fun-loving people enjoying some really yummy food. That’s the beauty of celebrating cross-culturally. You get a little taste of the world. Something truly to be thankful for.

In all circumstances—whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving in North America or not, whether you are having a good day or not—we have the choice to give thanks in all circumstances!

By the end of the night, my heart was overflowing with thankfulness—tears were long gone.

Gratitude had replaced them with joy.

Daniella Rottier

YFNZ Community Life

]]>What Happened My First Christmas Day in Missionshttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/16/what-happened-my-first-christmas-day-in-missions/
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 01:58:21 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1991I always loved Christmas. The lights, the music, the decorations and the gifts were always the culmination of the year—the big countdown—the point on the calendar where every other day found its place. So, it’s no wonder my first Christmas in missions felt off. I was on outreach in the tropics. It was sunny, hot and humid. The Christmas carols seemed out of place and the best efforts at festivities somehow fell short.

Because we were working in a remote location, mail from home was sporadic and infrequent. So, we knew it was a gift from God when a bundle of mail arrived on Christmas Day. As I opened cards and letters from home, a combination of love poured in and homesickness poured out.

One letter was from my one financial supporter. As tenderly as possible, he explained he would no longer be able to support me.What? I read it again. How could this be? I had followed God’s call to missions in faith. I had stepped way out of my comfort zone and now I felt abandoned, alone, like I was sitting on a branch that was being cut off from under me. Receiving this news was hard enough, but receiving it on Christmas Day was like salt being poured in a wound.

I fell to the floor. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t even have enough money to get home. How could God allow this news to come on Christmas Day?

Then a quiet voice spoke to my heart. “What better day to receive bad news than on the day the world celebrates the coming of hope?” I knew that was not my thought. I quickly realized I had a choice. I could wallow in fear or I could choose to trust God.

I’m grateful to say, through God’s faithfulness and the generous partnership of many people, I continued to serve in missions for over 15 years. And every year, I think back to my most memorable Christmas—not because of the festivities, but because of the lesson I learned.

Psalm 112:7 says, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” To confidently trust the Lord, we must know him as Emmanuel, God with us. He is near, He is accessible, He understands, He is for us.

I’m grateful for that difficult Christmas. It changed me. My focus changed. Christmas is a time to remember the fact that our hope has come.

That hope is for the world. That hope is for you and me.

Bob Miller

YWAM Furnace NZ

]]>How I Found My Purpose on a High School Missions Triphttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/16/how-i-found-my-purpose-on-a-high-school-missions-trip/
Fri, 16 Nov 2018 00:45:37 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1968“What are you going to do after high school?”

At fifteen years old, I expected people would only ask me about my life’s purpose when I graduated. Nope. I had two whole years of high school to go, but teachers—and strangers—started asking me “What’s next?” as if it was the same as “How’s the weather?”.

The truth was, I had no idea what I was going to do after graduation. I liked kids, and enjoyed school (shocking, I know). Teacher? I wasn’t fully convinced. Missions was definitely up there, but I knew university was a good idea for teaching.

With these questions still unanswered, I hopped on a plane to Southeast Asia. A group from my high school was about to spend three weeks of our summer in Cambodia to serve in orphanages, schools, and slums. Even though I grew up hearing about “short-term missions trips”, it was my first time actually going on one.

It was the smell that hit me first. Smoked chicken, old garbage, and durian (if you know, you know)—I was shocked, then fascinated. For those three weeks, I felt like a fish in water. Yes, garbage wasn’t the worst thing I smelled, and being in a completely new country wasn’t always a breeze. Yet as I danced with children in the dust of slums, to a soundtrack of shy giggles and bold laughter—I couldn’t get enough.

This is where I’m meant to be.

But it was at the primary school where it all made sense. We had just spent the morning making animal puppets, and I posed for a quick photo with the students. I’d learned many of the children would be on the streets, vulnerable to trafficking, if it not for the teachers there.

Suddenly, even though I was fifteen, I just knew.

I really do want to be a teacher.

In the last ten years, I graduated university with a teaching degree, and now I’m in full-time missions. Did I go back to Cambodia? No, not to teach (not yet, anyway!), but I visited again (photo above). However, since then, God uncovered my purpose even more, step by step. Instead of traveling to one nation, I’ve lead similar teams to rainforests of the Pacific and villages in the Himalayas. I’ve seen young people come alive just like I have—and now, on our media team, I get to share their stories.

But it all started when I was fifteen. Where did it start for you? And what’s your next step?

It could be closer than you think.

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace Media

We partner with Mission Adventures to provide short-term overseas mission experiences for school, church, or youth groups. Each trip is custom designed to give groups the best possible experience while challenging them to grow in a safe environment. To apply for a group or find out more, click here.

]]>Why Trekking in the Himalayas Changed Liveshttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/08/why-trekking-in-the-himalayas-changed-lives/
Thu, 08 Nov 2018 23:13:45 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1955A taxi, a bus, a van, and two more buses—in one day we made it to the start of our two-week trek in the Himalayas. Our team of ten hiked to three villages, about 65 miles total. We visited churches and brought teachings to equip the believers, as a lot are considered nominal Christians—and never imagined how much God was going to do there.

It was about 18 miles to the first village. On the way we encountered mountain sides exploding, we scaled the side of a cliff, witnessed incredible waterfalls and gorgeous butterflies. Once we arrived at the village, we stayed in the pastor’s home, performed skits, taught, and had a ministry time. I taught on intimacy with God and hearing His voice. During that time I felt God tell me that someone’s stomach hurt. Was that anyone?

It turned out it was the pastor, so I began to pray for him. As I prayed for him, his hand (it was hurt from working in the fields) was healed! I continued to pray for his hand—and then his stomach was healed too! I learned right then and there that God heals, and answers our heart’s desires, even when we don’t ask for it. But there was MORE. In that same village we witnessed a woman’s blind eyes open as she began to see for the first time! Then, in a moment during our ministry time, I was able to pray and lead a young girl to Christ.

We left that village FULL of joy—God had gone above and beyond what we ever imagined.

However, it wasn’t all butterflies and waterfalls. IT WAS HARD! The trek was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. It pushed me to the limit physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually at times. More often than not, I fought the lie that I was the “weakest link”, especially when the guys had to carry my sleeping bag to lighten my load.

Throughout the two weeks, I came face to face with myself and all the yuck and impurities that rise to the surface in times of fire. My character was far from perfect. I did not have the strength in me to do what we did physically, or even the compassion to continue to pray for people when I was tired and hungry.

But Jesus’ grace was SO sufficient in my weaknesses. I constantly asked Jesus to renew my mind and show me His perspective, because I’m not loving, joyful, or forgiving in my own power. That’s supernatural. I NEED JESUS. I’ve been learning that the process of being made like Christ is not fun all the time and being refined in the fire won’t last forever.

There is a season coming when I will get to walk out of the fire and hold the shape of what He’s doing within me. However, Holy Spirit comforted me in the truth that He loves me just as much now, in the process, as He will when I am through it.

This has been an experience of a lifetime.

It was difficult, uncomfortable, and challenging in so many ways, but I would do it again—if it meant just one person would know God and be transformed.

Michaela Wilson

Discipleship Training School

]]>How Extravagant Worship Started with a Stephttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/11/01/how-extravagant-worship-started-with-a-step/
Thu, 01 Nov 2018 02:10:04 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1929How do we naturally pursue a supernatural God? One we can’t physically touch or see?

For me, that’s a question that’s come to mind a lot recently. How do we have a personal relationship with someone we can’t see face to face, or hear audibly? (Or at least for most of us that’s the case). I’ve found a few different ways of connecting with God’s heart, first and foremost through the Bible, but also by taking walks by myself to spend time with Him, being in fellowship with His people, and through generously loving others.

Another way I’ve found to naturally connect with our Father is through extravagant, unrestrained worship. Not just choosing to sing some words, but allowing God to move in me and being obedient to how I feel Him asking me to glorify Him in each moment.

I’ve been learning to take these steps of faith towards the Father, not caring how others may see me, but only towards blessing God with my worship. When David danced in front of the ark, he wasn’t concerned with how he was seen by natural eyes, but gave his all to the supernatural God who saw his heart of worship.

In recent months, I’ve felt God speaking to me more and more about stepping out in worship and dancing with flags. Honestly, the idea terrified me and I think it probably terrifies most people. For most of us who grew up in church, myself included, flag dancing isn’t something that’s considered “normal”. I told myself that I could do it but only when I couldn’t be seen by others, that it would just be me and God’s secret.

But then God spoke to me—and asked me to dance halfway through corporate worship. Instantly, I felt self-conscious and was overwhelmed with what people would think. But then I realised something:

It’s okay to be scared of what God is asking you to step out in, and it doesn’t have to be perfect!

We just have to focus on just doing it for Him and no one else.

So I stepped out in worship, and it wasn’t perfect, but it was one of the most freeing and joyful things I’ve ever done. The entire time I was dancing, I felt so close to that supposedly-far-off God, like there was no one in the room but me and Him. But I couldn’t see that until I took the step in the natural towards the supernatural God.

Because how will we ever get closer to something if we don’t step towards it first?

]]>When Your Life Feels Like a Construction Zonehttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/10/25/when-your-life-feels-like-a-construction-zone/
Thu, 25 Oct 2018 22:58:25 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1896There’s construction happening right outside our front door. The lot that we live on was subdivided, and now a house is being built on what was our front patio. I’ve had some ups and downs with that reality, as most people would. Almost every day I’ve been sitting at the kitchen table, drinking my morning tea, and then suddenly two diggers and a massive truck show up and the entire house starts to shake.

But today, as I was trying to prepare a teaching (pretty unsuccessfully, as it was so loud that I couldn’t hear myself think), I heard God say very clearly:

“You don’t like this construction going on around your house because it’s a reflection of what’s going on inside. The discomfort you are experiencing in the physical is a reminder to you of the discomfort you’ve been feeling on the inside.”

Ouch. The more I thought about it, the more I knew it was true. Because, a little honesty here, I’ve been going through a lot of wrestling in my mind and in my heart. Trying to figure out where to go, what to do, and if I belong. Struggling with a numbness that probably comes from me overcommitting to things that don’t fill me up, but that ‘need to be done by somebody.’ I’ve been living life the past few months with a can-do attitude on the outside, but feeling more and more weighed down on the inside.

And it’s created a bit of a mess in my heart… kind of like a construction zone.

Right now, the yard in front of our house looks like a war zone. It’s muddy and chaotic, and there’s no way of knowing right now what the house they’re building will look like. I haven’t seen their master plan.

And that’s the season I’m in right now. I feel chaotic. I feel out of control. I feel like there is a bunch of stuff being moved around and disrupted in my heart. We’ve all felt that way. But I know that God has the master plan—He’s digging and shaping and moving things around with purpose.

He sees the big picture when I only see dirt.

So that’s my prayer in this season—that we would see and know the purposes of the construction zone in our hearts, and have faith in the God who sees it all. That we would learn to love each other in our construction zone realities, no matter how muddy they seem.

And that we would lean into the discomfort and the chaos, knowing that our foundation is being built on the Rock that will never break.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

-Matthew 7:24-25

Emma Rolfe

YWAM Furnace NZ

]]>For Those Who Feel Out of Placehttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/10/18/for-those-who-feel-out-of-place/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/10/18/for-those-who-feel-out-of-place/#commentsThu, 18 Oct 2018 22:21:27 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1898“Just go over to the house sometime, they’d love to meet you!”

Fresh to Tauranga, New Zealand, friends had raved about the YWAM Furnace community. My new university was right next door to where their current Discipleship Training School was running, and I wanted to meet them. I’d heard about DTS all my life and it had taken God’s very-clear guidance for me to do a teaching degree instead. I loved the multicultural chatter of YWAM, the real-time missionary stories, and just hanging out with people who loved Jesus well.

However, one brisk, autumn afternoon, I stood frozen at the start of the YWAM house’s driveway, soon after my friend urged to “just go over!”. Crinkled leaves blanketed the gravel, but I didn’t want to take another step through them. I double-checked the text that said it was alright to visit, and nervously smoothed out my coat.

All I could do was just be myself—and it freaked me out.

For long as I could remember, I always felt slightly out-of-place. My parents were from New Zealand, yet I was born and raised in the USA. I was six years old when I found out that I had a different accent than them. It didn’t bother me too much until I started realising that I didn’t quite think the same as kids at church or on my soccer team. I was forever “straddling the fence”… not quite American, not quite Kiwi, never fully belonging anywhere.

Rather than admit I felt out of place, I quickly discovered that if I was helpful and servant-hearted, I could at least fit in somewhere. Of course, serving at church or at kids camps took work. But hard work was better than feeling excluded, so work hard I did. I made great friends and had fun as I did it, but by high school I was convinced I only belonged because of what I had to offer—what I could do.

At eighteen, I arrived in Tauranga—and suddenly I had nothing to offer. My university schedule was so packed I didn’t want to volunteer at a church just yet, and I couldn’t do the five-month DTS or any other course to be “officially” part of the YWAM community. I could only be… me.

How could that be enough?

In the midst of those crinkled leaves blanketing that long driveway, I took a deep breath. I still don’t remember how I showed up at the doorstep, or got the courage to knock.

What I do remember is the flash of smiles as I was invited in, offered a hot cup of tea, and asked friendly questions about myself. And over the next four years, I’ll never forget the Lord of the Rings marathons, the Fourth-of-July parties (with the ever-patriotic Americans!), and the philosophical banter in the living room that usually ended with a game of Jenga or something of the sort.

And when I had graduated university, done my own DTS in Australia, and come back to New Zealand to work for a season—that’s when God invited me to serve at YWAM Furnace.

Only because I finally knew, without a doubt, that I belonged to a community—and ultimately, to God—without having anything to offer.

And that was enough.

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace NZ Media

]]>https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/10/18/for-those-who-feel-out-of-place/feed/1When My Last Choice Became My One Thinghttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/10/12/when-my-last-choice-became-my-one-thing/
Fri, 12 Oct 2018 03:49:16 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1886“And your outreach location will be…. New Zealand! You will be helping lead worship in the Prayer Room!”

I was angry.

The former Prayer Room staff had up and moved to the Middle East so they were in need of musicians, singers, and sound technicians. Did I care? No.

I signed up for my specific Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Australia because the outreach was to Southeast Asia to rescue children from sex trafficking. New Zealand was my last choice and I did not want it. I already told everyone I was headed to Thailand or Cambodia. I had raised money for that specific mission.

Instead, I was assigned to what some happily call Narnia. Others know it as Middle Earth.

I was not happy.

We were headed to the Tauranga House of Prayer, a satellite of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. I had always loved the house of prayer, their vision, their music, and their dedication to God being glorified 24/7 above all else. I just didn’t want it to be my assignment. There were girls to rescue; there were orphans to feed. There was work to be done around the world.

I didn’t want to sit in a room and pray.

Six years later, I am serving in what is now known as the Furnace Prayer Room—in Narnia/Middle Earth. I am committed to spending my life establishing houses of prayer, and seeing nations sing to the One true living and uncreated God.

So, what changed? God’s presence changed my heart. Shocker, I know. Setting aside time for Him, I couldn’t help but be confronted by His worth. My disappointment was intercepted by the vastness of His beauty. God’s love and worth reaches far greater than any humanitarian act I could hope to achieve.

Jesus did say to feed the poor, to love the least, last, and lost. James 1:27 also says true religion is to love the orphan and the widow. So following Jesus must and will always lead to acts of justice.

But we cannot disregard the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. To love Him is to respond to His worth in the only appropriate way: awe, surrender, and praise. This is why praising God is not an assignment that solely belongs to a Prayer Room team—worshipping God is the assignment of creation.

Six years ago, I never expected that my greatest disappointment on DTS would lead me to my greatest joy. What started as my last choice, ended up leading me into the revelation of what I was created for: the knowledge of God. I am now and forever will be gripped by His immeasurable worth.

]]>How My Weakness Revealed God’s Strengthhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/10/05/how-my-weakness-revealed-gods-strength/
Fri, 05 Oct 2018 01:07:36 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1870It had been a dream of mine for years to teach on a Discipleship Training School, and finally, my opportunity was right in front of me! Being invited to teach the Bible Overview week on a DTS was huge. I’d just finished my School of Biblical Studies, and I was full to the brim with excitement and passion for the Word of God.

I immediately beganplanning, and reached out to all my favourite teachers for advice. I made a fancy slideshow, incorporated games, and talked with the students to figure out what they wanted to learn. I thought I had everything together. I was nervous, but confident that I would do well.

And then, I got sick.

I’ve always had a weak immune system. I was known in school for constantly missing days, even weeks, because of sickness. In the winter, I mostly just go from cold to flu to cough and then back again. About a week before my teaching, I got really sick. I had hope that I’d get better, but instead of getting better, I got worse!

By the time my week to teach rolled around, I had a chesty cough, I was feverish, tired, had half a voice, and my ears were so blocked that I could hardly hear the person in front of me. I was sicker than I could ever remember being. And I was ANGRY about it!

The night before I taught, I moaned to my husband, “Ben, Why on EARTH am I so sick?”

“Doesn’t God know how important this week is to me? What if I fail because of this sickness? What if the DTS doesn’t learn what they need to learn? They’ll never invite me back to teach again!”

Ben raised his eyebrows at me.

And in that moment, I understood.

I had been moving and doing everything out of this “It’s all on me, and it’s all about me” mindset when really, none of it was. Did I really think that I could be more influential, more powerful than the God of the universe? Did I really believe that I could single-handedly ruin someone’s opinion of the Bible forever? That’s giving myself a lot of credit. I could feel the invitation from God:

“Trust me, Daughter. Lean on me, and I’ll show you how much I can do.”

From that place of realising that none of it was in my power, I taught the entire week. And you know what? No one died, people learned about the Bible, and at the end of the week, all I could say was “That was ALL by God’s strength,” because literally, it was.

I could feel him giving me strength, keeping my fever down, and keeping my mind clear. The DTS gave some incredible feedback, one of them saying that I “for sure made their top two favourite teachers” of the entire three months. Even the DTS team, most of whom know more than I probably do, were really encouraging, saying that I brought a fresh look and perspective to reading the Bible.

I’m really grateful for what God showed me on my first ever week of teaching. I actually wouldn’t change a thing about it. Why?

Because the next time I teach, or really do anything, even if I’m perfectly healthy–

I’ll always remember that it’s all in God’s hands, and that it’s all about Him anyways.

Emma Rolfe

YWAM Furnace NZ

]]>What Happened When God Told Me to Move to the Himalayashttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/09/21/what-happened-when-god-told-me-to-move-to-the-himalayas/
Fri, 21 Sep 2018 04:09:22 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1842I was standing on a balcony in the middle of the Himalayas.

I was disappointed.

I had just spent a whole month in that nation on outreach, and it still felt like it wasn’t enough time. Not enough time to do all the things I wanted to do. Not enough time to see God move the way I wanted Him to.

But I still remember God’s words as I asked Him about why things had gone the way they had gone.

“You’re not done with this place yet.”

At that point, I didn’t know the adventure that was lying ahead of me. But I would surely find out soon.

My whole life I never even had the idea of becoming a missionary. It was a word that was so foreign and so far from everything that I had been taught about growing up. So when I signed up to do a Discipleship Training School in New Zealand, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I definitely didn’t think my life would get turned upside down the way it did.

It was a few months into my DTS that God first spoke to me about moving to the Himalayas long-term.

It started with a little nudge and was soon confirmed by a dream, God-led conversations, and many other random little things. I ended up going to the Himalayas for my DTS outreach and honestly didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. It was hard. It didn’t feel like home. I didn’t love it.

But in the midst of it, I still knew what God was calling me to do.

I was just too afraid to commit.

I was too afraid to tell my parents about this crazy plan that was forming inside of my head. How was I going to explain that after being gone for six months, I wanted to leave Germany again? But this time it wouldn’t be for just six months. It’d be at least two years. And really there was nothing I had to offer. I didn’t feel like I was qualified or even mature enough to do this. I felt like I had nothing to bring to a team.

During a missions conference, I realized all those thoughts were just plain fear. Even as I was doing my DTS, I was already equipped. Spiritual maturity comes with obedience to God. You hear His voice, you obey His voice and then you grow. You don’t have to be perfect and have it all together to be obedient.

After finishing DTS I went home, knowing that the School of Frontier Missions would start in just a few weeks and that I was meant to participate. The Lord kept asking me:

“Will you lay down your own plans for your life and move to the Himalayas for me?”

Not knowing how to talk to my parents, I procrastinated for weeks. When I finally did tell them they were not happy with my plan. They weren’t really supportive either. They simply didn’t understand. But I realized that no matter how my parents felt, I knew that God was telling me to go and I had to be obedient…

Otherwise, I would forever look back to that moment and regret not saying yes to Him.

And that was all He needed. It seemed like my simple yes enabled God to move in a way He wasn’t able to move in before. Suddenly friends from church started supporting me financially and in less than two weeks I had enough money to buy a plane ticket back to New Zealand. And God kept moving. He totally transformed my parents’ heart and three weeks into the school, I made it to New Zealand. After three months of training, I and two other amazing long-termers moved to the Himalayas.

I’ve been living in the Himalayas for almost 17 months now and it’s honestly been the best decision I have ever made in my life. I know I am where God wants me to be and I am doing what He has called me to do. Not only that, I’ve had the privilege to experience God in a completely different way, in a way that I could not have experienced Him anywhere else. He has provided, proven Himself faithful and He’s been with me through it all—the ups and downs of moving to a different culture.

This I know—if He is calling you to do something He will give you the strength to do it. He will enable you to do it.

And He will get you to where you’re supposed to be.

Mona

School of Frontier Missions

YWAM Furnace NZ

]]>Why We Changed our Name to YWAM Furnace NZhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/09/14/why-we-changed-our-name-to-ywam-furnace-nz/
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 01:52:55 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1794Name changes seemed to be everywhere. Abram became Abraham, Jacob became Israel, even Saul to Paul. We heard of churches renaming themselves, even other YWAM locations.

But could it really happen to us? Could there be a name that captured our story, in all its twists and turns? And how did we even become the community we are today?

Well, it went a little like this.

In January 2004, a YWAM evangelistic campaign called Impact World Tour swept through New Zealand. Stadiums were filled for performances of international dance, skate and BMX, and incredible acts of strength (imagine phone book shredded, iron bars bent, and cars towed!). Then, the performers shared how Jesus had transformed their lives, and called the crowds to Him. In each gathering up and down the country, hundreds of people streamed forward. That was only the beginning. But where would all these people go?

Several years prior, the vision was cast for a community in Tauranga to be a beachhead for prayer and missions. “Beachhead” is a military term for a defended position taken from the enemy, where attacks can be launched from. Through Impact World Tour, we had gained ground with seeing people saved, but now it was time for a new move of prayer to fuel it.

In partnership with the Tauranga House of Prayer (Prayer Room), we started running Discipleship Training Schools based in the suburb of Bethlehem. From the blazing place of prayer and worship, people were equipped to take fresh fire to the mission field. We saw lives transformed not only in New Zealand, but across the world.

As we pursued the option of building in Bethlehem—expanding from our three houses and small classroom—we hosted our larger DTSes in Welcome Bay. The Faith Bible College campus bordered rolling green hills and it had seen Jesus transform lives for the past fifty years. We started hosting the Prayer Room there, too, and waited to see how God would bring our breakthrough.

In April 2017, it looked impossible to move forward in Bethlehem. Suddenly, we were invited to make our home on the Faith Bible College campus—not just for a season, but to really settle in and belong. We were blown away, and said yes!

Would we stay “YWAM Bethlehem”? That was the question on all of our minds, and for several months it seemed like our very-Biblical name would stick to remind us of our history.

Then God nudged us toward our vision of being a beachhead for prayer and missions. Could there be a name that encompassed that, as well as our mission to be a community where people are encountered by God, equipped, and sent to the nations?

Turns out there was a name just for us.

YWAM Furnace NZ.

Because it was our vision all along.

See this vision in action:

]]>For Those Waiting for Healing & Breakthroughhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/09/07/for-those-waiting-for-healing-breakthrough/
Fri, 07 Sep 2018 02:16:05 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1801My last year and a half has been full of digestive issues, different diets, trial and error, medications, doctors, confusion, financial struggle—not to mention vocal issues, and not being able to sing. At some points it felt like I was a slave to my health problems. But throughout it all, somehow I hung onto God’s promises for breakthrough and healing.

He continued to speak to me, and guide me through it—but in a process I didn’t expect.

A month ago, we had a team from Agape Freedom Fighters fly in from the USA. They came to equip and train us to lead people to freedom through spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. They were also available throughout the week to pray with us individually. I was so ready, and as expectant as ever for God to move in my life because of everything He had already been doing. It felt like everything had been building up to this point.

Would this be it? Would I finally be free? Would have MY moment this week?

Throughout the week, we had time at the end of the sessions to break up into small groups and pray through things using practical tools. One of the days we were learning about what it meant to have an orphan mentality versus knowing our identity as a son and daughter of God. Immediately, I was confronted that I was operating in an orphan mentality rather than as a daughter. This looked like constantly striving for God’s attention, approval, recognition, and always in fear of failing. I was trying to earn God’s love and salvation, rather than being free to rest in the reality that I already have it.

That day the Lord broke in with His truth. He showed me how He created me, and that He doesn’t regret anything for a second. God told me I was worth it, I was worth loving, worth dying for, worth every time I stumble, everything. I was finally able to see myself as His daughter and to see Him as a good Father. I didn’t have to strive for His attention, recognition, or acceptance. I belonged to Him.

The rest of the week, I got even more breakthrough and more lies were broken off. Now, I no longer see myself as a burden, or as “the one with all the issues.” I feel so much freedom to actually operate in what God has placed in me and in what He is inviting me in to as far as partnering with Him.

Often we are waiting for THE moment of breakthrough. But I am learning that there is not always just one huge pinnacle moment when everything you have been hoping for, asking for, contending for comes to pass. Rather, it’s the many smaller moments that add up over time.

Don’t just wait for THE moment, find the moments along the way. God is always in the waiting and always active. Sometimes you just have to pull back to see the different points God actually brought you freedom. A small shift in perspective can change everything.

It changed everything for me.

Justine Pohorski

YWAM Furnace NZ Media Team

]]>When I Found Courage at the Edge of a Waterfallhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/08/31/when-i-found-courage-at-the-edge-of-a-waterfall/
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 02:15:36 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1778About four months ago, before I moved back to Tauranga, I asked God what he was wanting to teach me about in this next season.

A key thing He said was vulnerability.

Honestly, I didn’t really know what vulnerability even was and seeing it as a good thing was weird to me.

The dictionary definition is also kind of weird…

Vulnerability: the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Notice it says the “quality” of being exposed… I knew for me at least, the idea of people seeing my weakness or my fears seemed far from “quality”.

But during the last couple of months, God has been showing me about the power of vulnerability.

The story goes like this…

I took our Discipleship Training School white water rafting in Rotorua which is a town about one hour from Tauranga. I had been white-water rafting on my DTS in 2016 and had so much fun, but for some reason this time I was so nervous—and it wasn’t just because of our crazy German guide.

I was sitting in the raft at the top of the seven-metre waterfall, so scared. But also annoyed at myself for being such a baby. We went over the edge and I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed that I wouldn’t die. (You think I’m exaggerating… I’m not). As you may have guessed, I didn’t die and we made it safely and all was well.

But the next few days I couldn’t shake the feeling of frustration at myself for being so scared.

I felt weak and silly.

I went to God with my emotions and realised I believed the lie that I couldn’t be vulnerable and fearless at the same time. In the past, I had always shut off my emotions and my fears because I didn’t want to seem weak. But God showed me that actually feeling afraid and scared is not weakness.

And Courage is when we still do something despite feeling afraid.

Courage and vulnerability isn’t having no fear. But rather in the face of fear, still stepping out in faith when we don’t know if it’s safe or what will happen.

Sometimes God uses the smallest circumstances in our lives—even white-water rafting—to teach us the most important lessons.

Sherie PrestonDiscipleship Training School Team

]]>How a Chronic Complainer Learned to be Grateful with Anythinghttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/08/23/how-a-chronic-complainer-learned-to-be-grateful-with-anything/
Thu, 23 Aug 2018 22:48:14 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1748It was a Monday morning, and the new house work duty list was up.

Lunch dishes.

Again—for the sixth week in a row.

As a chronic complainer, I continued to wash the dishes because I had to—but trust me, I didn’t want to, nor did I find it fun.

But, it wasn’t just the dishes. I did everything with a grumbling heart.

When I arrived in Tauranga, New Zealand for my Leader’s Internship, I was such a negative person. I saw everything that I didn’t want to do as a burden, and constantly complained about it all. I dragged my feet to the Prayer Room because I felt like we were there for way too long. I went to class ready to disengage because I felt like there was nothing for me to learn. I cried in the car on the way to Community Outreach because I didn’t see serving at a thrift store as leadership training. Through it all, I complained to my fellow interns, and influenced everyone around me.

One day in our living room, after crying and complaining yet again, I finally realised that living like this hardened my heart, and hindered me from receiving what the Lord had to offer me. All of a sudden, I had a flashback to the beginning of Leaders Internship. I was sitting in our classroom, and this phrase was written on the whiteboard:

Coram Deo.

It was a Latin phrase that translated to “before the face of God.” This memory ignited many thoughts and questions in my mind. Am I here to serve myself, and just do what I want to do? Or am I here to learn how to surrender my life to the Lord in obedience?

A wave of fresh revelation came upon me. I realised that I needed to be faithful in the little, and to do everything as if it was before the face of God.

Everything shifted. Suddenly I viewed everything as a privilege and an honour. I found washing dishes at my house as a privilege to love those around me. I was able to see stacking chairs as an honour to serve our campus. I became excited to be in the Prayer Room because I had the incredible opportunity to lift the Lord up in worship and praise. Humility was instilled in me as I went to class with an open heart; willing to learn whatever the Lord wanted to reveal to me. Ultimately, I saw everything that I thought was mundane and tedious to be something that actually glorified God.

Who knew that I could serve the King of kings by simply hanging clothes? I no longer have to vacuum the carpet, but now I get to!

I finally understood it. God was genuinely looking for people who would faithfully serve Him. Once I knew in my heart that everything placed in front of me was an opportunity to faithfully serve, love, and worship the Lord, this huge burden was lifted from me.

The grumbling of my heart was gone because I understood the calling the Lord has on my life—the calling of wholeheartedly worshipping Him in all that I do.

That was worth being on dish duty six weeks in a row.

Katrina Wagan

Ignite Compassion Team

]]>5 Reasons to do DTS if You Graduated from Collegehttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/08/17/5-reasons-to-do-dts-if-you-graduated-from-college/
Fri, 17 Aug 2018 03:13:45 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1720I was twenty-one when I graduated from university. I had a great job opportunity at a dream spot. Not to mention, I needed to start paying back my student loan, too. Inconveniently, God started reminding me of another dream, the plan I’d dismissed somewhere in the middle of my teaching degree. I wanted to do a Discipleship Training School.

But wasn’t DTS for fresh high school graduates or students doing a gap year?

When I finally took the leap, I discovered five reasons why doing DTS was just what I needed as a college graduate—and what I wanted, too.

1. There really are people your age.

Before I arrived to my DTS, I pictured the puppy-dog eyes of teenagers leaving home for the first time. Was I really going to spend the next six months with people just learning to adult? Suddenly I bumped into all the college graduates. We all had no idea how to pay off our student loan and we knew how to live in dorms. I can’t promise it will be the same on yours, but if not, there’s usually someone around campus went through the same thing—it really is normal to join YWAM after college.

2. You make lifelong friends—even ones younger than you.

The frustrating, beautiful, and hilarious thing about DTS is that you do life with people completely different than you. We had over five nationalities (not to mention the cultural differences between American states!) and those fresh out of high school. Yet when it came to the life skill of cooking, one eighteen-year-old (who had never been on a plane prior to DTS) had me beat. On outreach in innercity Amsterdam, Kaela and I danced to classic country songs as she showed me how to fry ground beef. I didn’t even think about the age gap. Instead, the shared experiences of DTS made us friends, however different we were.

3. You’ve already got a support base.

You might not have realised it, but in the last four years of a degree, you’ve made more friends than just your parents’ church acquaintances. You’ve made it through all-nighters, heartbreak, first dates, road trips, and praying-to-God you can get that essay in on time—all with friends by your side. You’ve met quality people at a new church, maybe joined a campus ministry, and they were your cheerleaders the whole way. So when it comes to starting a new adventure, you already have people who know you well and want to see you succeed.

4. You’ve got skills.

Whether it’s skills like how to wait patiently for the shower while your roommate straightens her hair, or actually what you learned in classes, you’ve gained so much in the last few years. When I was in high school, I knew God could use me, degree or not. During DTS, I found that God also loved using skills I learned in university for missions. Obviously, being a teacher is a classic “missionary” role. However, even writing all those essays equipped me to tell outreach testimonies well. So if you feel your degree has nothing to do with missions, let God surprise you. There’s always a place for you and what you’ve learned.

5. You get to rediscover your passions and calling.

Despite being a passionate teacher and loving my university, I felt completely drained when I graduated. I was sick of academic language and only being categorized in the box of my degree. I knew there was more to me, but I didn’t know what. DTS was the breath of fresh air that I desperately needed. I remembered that I liked writing songs. I started drawing more, and giving some away during ministry. Where I had limited God to use me in education, He showed me that there was more to me than just that box. Altogether, university and DTS clarified my calling and gave me the courage to move forward—with my whole heart. I haven’t been the same since.

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace NZ Media Team

]]>When Jesus Ruined my Fear of Missing Outhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/08/10/when-jesus-ruined-my-fear-of-missing-out/
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 01:49:37 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1664On Friday afternoon we were headed to community outreach. As I jumped into the van, I hit the the rim of the door—and gave myself a concussion. I regained consciousness quickly, but my brain was still a bit fuzzy.

So I had to take it easy for a few days. On Mondays we have Community Night, where everyone gathers for worship and often a guest speaker. I really didn’t want to miss out, but I also knew deep down that I needed to stay in my room. I kept fighting that thought, even though I knew Holy Spirit was nudging me to stay.

Then one of my roommates asked me, “Why do you want to go?”

The truth was, I doubted that God would show up if I was by myself.

I was afraid of missing out on Him in that atmosphere. The fear became so real that I began to cry. My roommates challenged me to have an expectation that God is who He says He is. They challenged me to believe He is not just already with me, but that I would encounter Him. They gave me with questions to specifically ask God, and then all left to Community Night.

Spoiler alert: God showed up.

He encountered me. In my room. All by myself. He answered every question. He spoke to me, and I heard Him, in my thoughts and in pictures. No one else was around, the mood was not set as a worship service, yet I had communion with God.

I know this may sound simple for some, but sometimes I can so easily buy into the lie that Holy Spirit isn’t a real person. But He is omnipresent. Always with me. He is faithful to His promises. And He just wants to meet with us. It can sometimes seem like He is present only in the distance, and the distance can look like a mystery. But I discovered that if I look at what’s right in front of me, it’s just as beautiful—and I dare say sweeter—than chasing what’s on the other side.

After fours hours, even when my roommates came back, I wasn’t bored with God. I didn’t feel absent from His presence or that I missed out. In fact, I knew I had communion with Jesus like I couldn’t if I had gone.

He wants to reveal Himself in community with others, but how sweet and kind is He that He desires to meet with us individually as well.

By Michaela WilsonDiscipleship Training School

]]>Why We Braved the Himalayas to Wash Some Feethttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/08/03/why-we-braved-the-himalayas-to-wash-some-feet/
Fri, 03 Aug 2018 02:53:09 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1610One of our outreach locations was in the southern region of the Himalayas. We worked with a local pastor who ran a children’s hostel and school. We spent just under two weeks living at the hostel with the children… and mosquitos.

I’m not going to lie about this experience, it wasn’t my favourite.

In fact, it was pretty hard.

Most of our team was struggling with mosquito bites, sickness, or just the general dreariness of the place—there was permanent fog and the sound of wailing from the mosque. However, it was there that I experienced a moment I will never forget.

We had heard that there was disunity amongst the local pastors, and most of them weren’t seeking to work together or encourage each other. Instead, they were getting into disagreements and doing their own thing. We joined with another outreach team who happened to be staying there at the same time as us, and spent some time in prayer.

What could we do to help bring these pastors together?

We shared what we felt God saying, and decided to host a dinner for the pastors and really honour them in front of each other.

Our teams gathered with about eight local pastors and we all worshiped the Lord together. Following this, our teams came around each one of the pastors and washed their feet in a basin of water, then prayed a blessing over them. In doing this we wanted to serve these pastors and show them that in order to follow Jesus, we have to follow His example of serving each other.

It was that moment where I saw first-hand that unity comes from a place of serving, when we love one another and humble ourselves. It’s in this way we can work together.

Mosquitos and all.

“Devote yourselves to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”

I grew up in the church, I knew how to pray, I knew how to read my Bible. Not only that, I knew ways to teach it. I’d learned enough tips and tricks to fill small groups for a lifetime. Did I use those tips and tricks? No, not at all. Not until that Tuesday morning.

Winter sun streamed through the window of our DTS (Discipleship Training School) classroom and soaked the desk in front of me. I caught a yawn as I glanced up at our teacher writing on the whiteboard.

“Prayer isn’t just asking for things,” Nicola announced in her New Zealand accent.

“Prayer is a conversation with God through His Word.”

It was our half-hour Prayer Coaching slot. We were learning principles of prayer and creative ways to read the Bible. Since at least six hours of our week were spent in the Prayer Room, I assumed we needed these classes so we didn’t get bored.

It must have been working, because I wasn’t bored in Prayer Coaching, just tired. But then Nicola started writing that Bible verse. You know, the one you’ve seen framed in thrift stores and heard recited in church before you could say the words, “Psalm 23”. She explained we were going to read through it and pick out characteristics of God.

Shepherd… Leader… Provider… we shouted them out like the good church kids most of us were.

Then we got to the line, He restores my soul, and Nicola wrote out one word:

Restorer.

What my class didn’t know was that under my usually-optimistic personality, I was gasping for breath. They don’t often tell you in Sunday School that heartbreak happens, and it feels a lot like getting the wind knocked out of you. But unlike getting winded, which only last several minutes—disappointment in a relationship (or lack of one) can last several months. Or in my case, a year.

Our homework was to pick one characteristic of God, find more verses on it, and write a prayer to Him. As I sat in the Prayer Room, Restorer kept popping into my head. Then I found Ezekiel 36:36, saying:

“I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate.”

Yeah, right, I thought. Then it all just tumbled out of me. As I scribbled my prayer, I could see it as clear as watching a home renovation show on TV. Me, living in termite-infested rooms with rotting walls. Jesus waltzing in, a goofy grin on his face and a hammer in His hand. He wanted to give my broken heart a full renovation.

For the first time, I started to hope that restoration was possible.

And it was hope that didn’t disappoint.

By Kayla Norris
YWAM Furnace NZ Media Team
]]>How I Crossed the Pacific in a Yachthttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/07/20/how-i-crossed-the-pacific-in-a-yacht/
Fri, 20 Jul 2018 02:26:24 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1565It was May when I found the website for Yachts for Life. I was fresh out of my DTS (Discipleship Training School), and God had been planting ideas in me about using boats in missions. I’d never sailed before, but I was willing to give it a try.

I’d never sailed before, but I was willing to give it a try.

After a bit of scratching around on the web, I stumbled across YWAM Furnace NZ’s page, which led me to find Yachts for Life. I was curious to see what it was, so I sent them a message.

A couple weeks later I found myself in Tauranga, New Zealand, re-introducing myself to Robbie and Julia Parker—turns out we’d met two years before. They were planning a trip on June 18th (two weeks from then) from Tauranga to Fiji with 6 crew members. They had five confirmed and one maybe. So there was a chance I could have a place, but it wasn’t definite.

There was still some renovation work to do on the 53-foot Seahawk before they could set sail. I wasn’t doing anything, so I offered a helping hand at least until sailing day. A couple days later I was offered the position on the crew. Without hesitation, I accepted the invitation. I was in!

It was a little bit intimidating, I have to admit—sailing a yacht for ten days across the Pacific Ocean, having no previous experience on boats before. However, spending those couple weeks in Tauranga prior to the trip, I learned a lot more than I thought about the Seahawk.

We had people in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji praying for us, so the winds and seas were definitely in our favor for the majority of our travels. There was a small part of me, however, that was secretly hoping we’d get some challenging weather on the journey as well—just for experience’s sake. Calm seas never made a skilled sailor, right?

Well, my wish was granted. We spent the whole of Day 4 living sideways, with starboard in the water and port as high as possible. It was made even more exciting when the autopilot stopped working as well and someone had to be at the helm at all times.

That night, I had the post-dinner watch. Just after 7 PM, it suddenly started bucketing down with rain. I quickly called Barry and Mark to put the bimini (a canvas roof) up while I continued to steer. With the yacht still leaning right over on starboard, everything we did was at an angle. They shoved their wet-weather gear on and rushed up to help, but by the time the bimini was up, I was already soaked right through.

I carried on until 8 PM and then handed it over to Mark. By that time the rain had cleared up. I then wrung out my clothes and dried off before getting some rest ready for my next shift.

The next few days were smooth sailing. We landed in North Minerva on Day 7, two and a half day’s away from Fiji. segmentgapFinally, on the night of Day 10, the Suva lights came into sight. We all rushed up to the deck to drop the sails and motor into the harbor. We officially anchored up just before midnight, and celebrated with a nice ginger ale and high fives all-round.

I would do it again in a heartbeat.

After ten amazing days on the ocean, we had our feet back on dry ground, and I could officially say I’d accomplished my very first ocean crossing. I couldn’t have imagined a better trip thanks to the four incredible guys I got to sail with. I was so blessed to have been a part of the journey. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

By Isaak Sunley
Yachts for Life Crew

Yachts for Life works to empower remote Pacific Island communities through sharing of knowledge based on Biblical principles relating to every sphere of life—using sailing vessels to get to otherwise inaccessible locations.

]]>When Being Stranded was a Good Thinghttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/07/13/when-being-stranded-was-a-good-thing/
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 03:40:47 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1552My steering wheel suddenly felt like I was maneuvering a two-ton weight. Turns out steering fluid can look like it’s in there—but it’s not. In my Ford Focus’ case, old fluid stained the container at “full”, while slowly leaking out.

Late one night that leak burst, splattering fluid across my friend’s driveway.

I was stranded.

My car was crammed with all of my suitcases—I was just about to join my team on campus preparing for our latest Discipleship Training School (DTS). Twenty-five people from seven countries were arriving in New Zealand for the five-month course, to learn how to know God deeper and make Him known across the nations.

This was not the time to deal with a broken-down car.

A friend picked me (and all my suitcases) up, and I tried not to cry. This was the start of my busiest five months, and my one lifeline was that I had a car. I could escape “normal life” if and when I wanted to. I didn’t need to depend on anyone else, and I could avoid the not-so-fun parts of community living at least for a few hours. Not anymore.

For the next few weeks, I juggled classes and activities for the DTS, asking mechanic friends to check my car out. I tried looking for a way to avoid getting a tow truck, but it just wasn’t working.

Meanwhile, I was still stranded.

I mean, there are worse places to be stuck. Rolling green hills dotted with fluffy sheep and majestic trees straight out of Lord of the Rings surround the campus. You start to get why so many movies are filmed in New Zealand. But when you live ten minute’s drive from the nearest supermarket, and city buses don’t come past your campus? Well, I wanted my Ford Focus more than ever.

Yet I started to change, so gradually I didn’t even notice.

Instead of distracting myself when I couldn’t cope with community living, I started to go to the Prayer Room and journal to God about it. Instead of isolating myself when I had a hard day, I started to pull a friend aside and ask to chat. Since it was winter, we made oatmeal with golden syrup and huddled around our heater. This turned into “oatmeal parties”—a dozen friends crammed into our small room and overflowed on the doorstep outside, laughing and swapping stories into the night.

By the time my car was towed and repaired, I discovered afresh that God was with me, and wanted to help when things got hard. And even when community living drove me crazy, I found that the people God placed around me became my best friends.

Turns out God can use anything—even being stranded without a car—for my good.

I’m so thankful.

Kayla Norris

YWAM Furnace NZ Media Team

]]>Being an Ambassador: Start Where You’re Calledhttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/03/12/being-an-ambassador-start-where-youre-called/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/03/12/being-an-ambassador-start-where-youre-called/#respondMon, 12 Mar 2018 02:46:18 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1287Written by Sydney Atchley, School Leader for the Transformational Development School

There is something so beautiful when we see God’s righteousness manifest on earth–moments when we come into alignment with God’s intentions and we see His kingdom touch creation. These moments allow us to see glimpses of heaven on this deeply broken earth, and it opens up the opportunity for transformation.

The Greek Word for kingdom is “basileia” and is found 162 times in the New Testament. Jesus Himself talked more frequently about God’s kingdom than any other tenant of the Christian life. John 3:1-13 gives an account of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, whose question of how to be born again prompts Jesus to answer, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” God desires us to be wholistically changed at every level–body, mind, soul, and spirit. If we have a broken way of viewing God, ourselves, others, or our role in creation, we can’t completely fulfill our calling as being ambassadors for this Kingdom we so desperately want to see on earth.

This role of an ambassador has always been so fascinating to me. When you initially experience a new culture, everything can seem foreign–the language, the food, the smells, the bathrooms. But as soon as you walk through your country’s embassy in a foreign land, everything changes: It looks, smells, feels familiar, like you’ve returned home. You have air conditioning when you’ve otherwise been a sweaty, hot mess. You hear the familiar sound of your own language being spoken. The sofas in the waiting area look like something from your aunt’s living room. Even legally, this space is designated by the government as the land of your nation.

When we are faithful in our role as ambassadors for God’s kingdom, we represent the place where God’s glory dwells. We accurately represent the values and culture of the kingdom of God so that His fullness can dwell on earth. When God sees our willingness to be used by Him, He can use our obedience to wholistically change communities, office spaces, hospitals, gyms, and even nations.

When I finished my Community Development School last year, one of the most significant revelations I had was how God uses any role, any calling, in any space to transform it for the glory of His kingdom. We aren’t obligated to be full-time missionaries for the rest of our lives in order to be used by God. That’s the beauty of our calling–We have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us so that we can use wisdom and truth from God’s Word to carry out our unique roles as ambassadors for the kingdom.

The Transformational Development School is an outlet where you can seek to refine your calling and be equipped with the tools and strategies to see God’s kingdom brought to earth, wherever the Lord will place you. Our hope is to see the kingdom of God touch the earth in a way that brings transformation to every area of relationship, every community, city, and entire nations. This begins by the faithfulness of God’s sons and daughters to be strengthened with a biblical foundation and use that knowledge to bring transformation actively in every sector of society.

If you want to know how God can use your dreams or gifting for the sake of His kingdom, we would love to have you join us this July. For more information, please email me at sydney.atchley@ywambethlehem.co.nz.

]]>https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/03/12/being-an-ambassador-start-where-youre-called/feed/0Prayer + Missionshttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/01/23/prayer-missions/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/01/23/prayer-missions/#respondTue, 23 Jan 2018 21:05:59 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=1187For the past 10 years, YWAM Furnace NZ and the Tauranga House of Prayer have been on an incredible journey as a Prayer and Missions community. In the last 6 months, it has become clear to our combined leadership that we would be more effective together than separate. Therefore, we are thrilled to announce that we have merged our ministries together knowing that this will further solidify our base as a beachhead of prayer and missions for Tauranga, New Zealand, Oceania, and South East Asia.

Ultimately we believe the Prayer and Missions movements are one reality in the heart of God. This reality is happening and will continue to increase all over the earth. Bringing the prayer room into YWAM enables us to train more young adults in prayer, build a city-wide praying church network, and take what we do here in the prayer room to the nations of the earth. Our missional community has the unique opportunity to gaze on the beauty of Jesus in adoring worship, feel His heart for the nations in prayer, and then go to those nations with burning hearts to see God move in power! We invite you to join us on this exciting journey!

We are relaunching the Prayer Room together with YWAM Furnace NZ and we are so excited to see how God is going to use us together.

We have added a few more hours to the prayer room schedule, we hope to see you there!

]]>https://ywamfurnace.nz/2018/01/23/prayer-missions/feed/0The ANZ School of Biblical Studieshttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/05/01/the-anz-school-of-biblical-studies/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/05/01/the-anz-school-of-biblical-studies/#respondMon, 01 May 2017 01:55:54 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=755Are you looking to do a secondary school? Do you want to go deeper in studying the whole Bible? Have you ever wanted to experience New Zealand and Australia?

Coming this October 2017, we will be running the Australia and New Zealand School of Biblical Studies (ANZ SBS)! The School of Biblical Studies (SBS) is a nine-month course in which students study through each of the incredible 66 books of the Bible five times. Partnering with YWAM Sunshine Coast, the first three months of the school, SBS 1, will be held in both YWAM Furnace NZ and YWAM Sunshine Coast. Those who complete SBS 1 at YWAM Furnace NZ will have the option of completing, the other six months, SBS 2 and SBS 3, on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

Whether you’re called to full-time ministry in the unreached parts of the 10/40 window or to starting a business in your hometown, SBS will aid you in your calling. Having a Biblical foundation will influence how you live your life, make decisions and interact with others. SBS not only teaches you how to study the Bible for yourself, it also equips you with the tools needed to give Gods Word to others. These 9 months are an investment that will shape the rest of your life.

Come set aside these nine months to explore God’s heart for the lost, find your identity and fullness in Christ, and God’s plan of redemption for mankind. All the while experiencing what God is doing in New Zealand and Australia!

]]>https://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/05/01/the-anz-school-of-biblical-studies/feed/0New Second Level School – Word By Hearthttps://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/04/17/new-second-level-school-word-by-heart/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/04/17/new-second-level-school-word-by-heart/#respondMon, 17 Apr 2017 12:00:01 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=587Do you enjoy telling stories? Does your heart come alive in the Word of God? Do you long for others to experience God through the Bible? Do you have a passion for acting and theater? If you answered yes to any of these, our new secondary school, Word By Heart, is for you.

In biblical times, the eye-witness accounts in the Gospels were originally shared by word of mouth. Jesus was alive on the earth and these things really happened. When they are told as stories as if by an eye-witness, they come alive in people’s imaginations and hearts; they are believable.

Word By Heart gives you the chance to become a storyteller through memorizing one of the four gospels, being trained in how to effectively and creatively share it, and giving you a chance to go to the nations and share in various contexts. Whether you have experience in acting or not, this school is for anyone who has a passion to reach people with the Word of God through this creative outlet.

Would you like to be able to share the gospel creatively through storytelling? Are you up for the challenge? Come and join us July 2017!

]]>https://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/04/17/new-second-level-school-word-by-heart/feed/0Two New DTS’s Launching July 2017https://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/04/14/two-new-dtss-launching-july-2017/
https://ywamfurnace.nz/2017/04/14/two-new-dtss-launching-july-2017/#respondFri, 14 Apr 2017 06:04:59 +0000https://ywamfurnace.nz/?p=580Yes, you heard right. We will be running not one but TWO brand new DTS’s starting in July 2017! Each of these new schools’ visions have been growing in our minds and in our hearts for a while. We are so thrilled to make both of these a reality come July.

Pioneers DTS

This DTS track is for those who feel called to go where few have gone before and leave a legacy for others to follow. Discover how to engage with unreached people groups and launch into accomplishing the unfinished task of missions.

Do you enjoy being the first? Do you love exploring new ways of accomplishing a task? Do you long to venture into the unknown? The Pioneers DTS track will provide training in new strategies for engaging unreached people groups, and the opportunity to endeavor into remote areas of the world to bring transformation through the Gospel. It is our goal to be gripped by this love and to discover and apply God’s strategies to go to new places and do new things in new ways.

There are still people who have never heard about Jesus, who have never felt His love. They don’t know who they are as sons and daughters of God. You can be one of the first to go, to introduce Jesus to the ones out in the far reaches of the world, and to shine the Light in the darkest places. Are you willing to venture into the unknown to reach the lost? Come join us!

Media DTS

We want to empower people with an interest in media to creatively use their talents for God’s purposes through hands-on training and understanding the role of media in fulfilling the Great Commission.

If you are passionate about sharing stories through photography, videography, graphic design or other media outlets, this DTS track is for you. We believe God has called people to use this tool effectively for His glory. On this DTS track we are dedicated to see people that are passionate about media grow in their talents as well as in their understanding of its purpose. We believe God has a purpose with media as a tool to reach the world with the message of Jesus.

God is moving in incredible ways across the world today, and it needs to be shared. You could be a part of making God known in the nations by telling God’s story creatively through creative media. Think of how the world will be transformed if people could see who God is through real stories and testimonies of how He is moving and active today on a global scale. Want to be a part of it? Come and join us!

Therefore, are you willing to go where no one has gone before to make Jesus known in the nations? Or do you have a passion to share what God is doing in the nations through creative media? If yes, come join us in July 2017 for either our new Pioneers DTS or our new Media DTS. Not only would you be the first to be a part of these exciting new schools, but it could be the start of something bigger for your life and for the lives you end up touching.

“I will keep your law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.” – Psalm 119:44-45

It’s ironic, isn’t it? Reading a title and seeing the words ‘secret’ and ‘freedom’ in the same sentence. It’s also ironic reading a Bible verse that says, “I will keep your law continually… and I shall walk in a wide place.” Charles Spurgeon said about this verse, “The way of holiness is not a track for slaves, but the King’s highway for freemen.” Jesus said that He came to give us life abundantly. Not a life of rules and restrictions, but a freedom to live as the people we were made to be.

The Kingdom of God can be a bit ironic, can’t it? How do you find your life? Well Jesus says to lose it. James tells us that the Lord, “lifts up the humble.” One concept that seems backwards is spiritual hunger. In the natural, you satisfy your hunger by eating and then you become full. But in the spiritual, the more you “eat,” the more hungry you become. I think we all have a desperate need for God – not just for following him or being committed to him, but to intimately be connected with him and I think that the more connected we become with him, the more freedom we have! “–Wait, what? How does that make sense? Becoming more connected to something makes me free? Isn’t that the opposite of freedom, being unattached from something?” Not connected to something – connected to someone! I think the more spiritual hunger you cultivate and the greater intimacy you experience with Jesus, the more passionate you are to remove anything that hinders this intimacy.

“Spiritual hunger is our greatest asset!” – Josh Cole

“But when you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me.” – Hosea 13:6

I look at the people of Israel who had experienced the glory of God firsthand, yet still turned away from him, and I believe it’s because they lost their spiritual appetite for God. They experienced one miracle from God that temporarily satisfied their spiritual hunger for the moment and grew in a prideful independence away from God, thinking that they had “eaten” enough. The Israelites become bound and enslaved to their selfish desires because they did hunger for the only One who could satisfy them.

If we want to walk in authentic freedom, we need to pursue authentic intimacy with God. And vice versa, if we want to walk in authentic intimacy with God, we must pursue authentic freedom from anything that holds us back from experiencing His fullness.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

So… you’re carrying a secret. Most of us are. The reality is, at one time or another, maybe even now, we have all carried a secret. I think if we are really honest with ourselves, we’ve sat in a community or been around people who believed in us but the thought, “If they really knew me…” waves like a flag in our mind. Because there is something we have done or are still doing that we really don’t want to admit to in fear that if we were really known we would be judged, gossiped about, exposed and rejected. Within all of us, at some point or another, there is a leech of bondage and sin attached to us, and we can choose to get help and remove it, or we can ignore it as it steals from us and grows bigger and bigger.

Now the question is posed, “How do we remove these leeches?” Leeches thrive in dark environments so when they are exposed to light, they want to flee quickly. God has given us the tool of transparency to remove sin and bondage from our life.

Dictionary.com defines transparency as, “allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen.” Transparency simply means to allow the light of God to shine through you in order for Him to set you free.

Transparency is not just a good idea; it’s a tool God gives us to walk in the freedom of the cross. – Marty Emmett

I think one of the reasons why many of us refuse to live a life of transparency is because shame has lead us to secrecy and silence. We have to recognize that though God knows everything about us, he does not pull back from us and he still loves us. If we want to walk in the fullness God has for us, we have to open up and let the light in which means being vulnerable with God, as well as a trustworthy community around us.

I know what it is like to carry a secret; it drives you nuts! But something releases when you confess even what may seem like your most shameful secret. I know how it feels to desperately need to confess, like your insides are filling up with smoke and you just have to let it out. I know what it feels like to carry something with you that is eating you alive but I also know the weightless, wondrous feeling of letting it out –like you’ve been holding your breath and now you finally get to breathe again. And probably the most beautiful aspect about God and a godly community is that they give you permission to let it out and to breathe. God loves us in all of our mess, in all of our brokenness and mistakes and His word says that he casts our sin into a sea of forgetfulness, and in my opinion, being transparent with a godly community allows people to put up “No Swimming” signs around that sea so that we may never ever go back to those old leeches. Walk in the freedom of being fully known and fully loved by God and his people.

Christina Parker from California says:

Growing up I always felt that I had to be perfect; like I was either passing or failing in life. So I felt like I had to wear a mask, even with my own make up, I had to make everything look perfect. But on my journey with the Lord, I’ve realized the need for transparency, of taking the mask off, opening up, being honest and letting the light in. My heart is so for deep relationships, which I have found comes from being honest and getting help when I need it. It’s so easy to put a wall up and not let people know what is really going on inside. But when I’ve gotten really vulnerable with someone, that’s when God has really broken through and a real relationship has happened. Transparency has been a huge tool for freedom in my life!